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Steel companies prepare for impact of president's tariff removal
By LORRAINE SENCI
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One of the largest employers in the Metro-East - U.S. Steel Granite City Works, which employs about 2,500 people - is hoping
that positive forces in the global economy will offset the negative impact the recently lifted steel tariffs could have on its
industry.
On Dec. 4, President George W. Bush lifted Section 201 steel safeguard tariffs - more than 15 months ahead of schedule -
citing "changed economic circumstances." The protective tariffs, which were enacted in March 2002 and scheduled for a
three-year duration, were a hard-won reprieve for an industry that has seen 42 bankruptcies since the late 1990s.
"Five companies filed for [continue]
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Steel mill employees, community members, labor leaders, elected officials and others recently gathered to send a strong
message that the tariffs on imported steel should be retained until 2005. The event took place at a "Stand Up For Steel"
rally held at U.S. Steel Granite City Works in Granite City. |
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Caseyville nets $400 million upscale residential, commercial development |
CASEYVILLE - The village of Caseyville will soon be the recipient of a massive residential and commercial development.
A village with a population of 4,300, Caseyville is welcoming a 480-acre, $400 million development by Sacramento-based
Sport Choice LLC. A total of 625 residences - a combination of ranch-style and two-story villas starting at $240,000 and homes
from $300,000 to $1 million - will adorn the village's rolling landscape, according to Michael Egan, president of Caseyville
Sport Choice LLC, the subsidiary leading the effort.
The development will span the area between Illinois Route 159 west to Illinois Route 157. Egan hopes to break ground in
April and complete in five to 10 years.
In addition to the residential layout, approximately 280,000 square feet of
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Governor visits, promises funding for more than 50 area development projects
By KERRY L. SMITH
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GODFREY - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich delivered $160 million worth of economic development stimuli to Southwestern Illinois
in mid December, $130 million of which is tied to improving the region's transportation infrastructure.
The Opportunity Returns package represented the fifth in a series of 10 new major economic development plans to spur growth
in this region and across the state.
Illinois Transportation Sec. Tim Martin said 27 of the more than 50 separate projects announced for Southwestern Illinois -
those tied to transportation improvements - would be funded out of existing General Fund revenues using bonding. The remaining
dollars, Blagojevich said, would come from capital projects monies.
Opportunity Returns transportation projects - the $130 million announced last month in Godfrey, are not part of the
Illinois Department of Transportation's five-year plan, according to the governor's aides.
As for funding the remaining $30 million in non-transportation initiatives,
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Look inside our print edition for more Southern Illinois Economic Development articles!
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